Steering question...hard one

[Brett]

I just got a 1967 F250 highboy 4x4. This one has manual steering and to say that it is manual is an understatment. I don't claim to be a muscle man but this thing is hard to steer. I have had manual trucks in the past and they were not this difficult.

I looked over the box and it appears to have some seepage fluid coming out. Does this box require a special lubricant? How hard is it to adjust the play and tightness of the box? Does anyone know the process for making this thing easier to steer?

If the truck is not moving, it is almost impossible to turn the steering wheel. Help!
Thanks
Brett

[FORDification]

The '67 Maintenance and Lubrication manual states that the steering box on 4x4s uses 90wt. Here's a thread where we were recently discussing this:

http://fordification.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3294

[Brett]

I think that I may try the lith grease and see how that works.
Brett

[Helldiver]

Lubbing the chasse, always helps mine out.

[willowbilly3]

Well you can't turn these when they are setting still, that's tough to do on any non p/s vehicle and especially on a truck. You learn to steer while you are moving.

[fordman]

something i found hard to do was take a bad power pump off and try to turn without power steering on a power steering equiped truck it makes it harder when your sitting still to turn it. i mean really hard.

[NM5K]

My 74 is kinda like that...It's kinda weird
that my 68 F-250 is easier to steer than my
74 F-100...But it is...Make sure the kingpins
etc, are not half froze up. Do you have fat
tires? That makes it much harder, when going
real slow. Thats one reason why I prefer fairly
skinny tires.. I had to research the gear lube
deal a while back, when that first thread started.
My 74 ended up having the thick grease, and not
the oil. After that, I thinks it's pretty easy to tell
which really. When you stick your finger in the hole,
if it's comes out looking like thick front end grease,
it needs the chassis lube. But if it's real thin and runny, it's probably oil. If you use oil in a gear
that uses lube, it will leak out pretty fast.
When I had it jacked up looking at the kingpins,
I noticed it was fairly easy with no load on the
tires... But I can't really use any thinner a tire on
that 74, being it already has the stock 75 series
tire. My f-250 is using the 16x235x85, if I remember
right.. Those have been working out quite well, and
steers about the same as the stock split rim
bias tires it had stock. I ditched those and went to
stock solid rims, and the radials. You might wanna
jack up the front, or put it on a lift, and see if it's
still hard with no tire/weight load. I'd almost bet it
feels like power steering when jacked up... :/
If not, I'd be checking the kingpins and grease em
up real good.
MK